Butterfly Pavilion may move to Broomfield

Project would be part of the new Science and Technology Park at Colo. 7 and Sheridan Parkway

By Jennifer Rios

Staff Writer

Posted:
05/17/2017 01:36:54 PM MDT

Students meditate during a class of Rainforest Yoga recently at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. (The Butterfly Pavilion / Courtesy Photo)

After 25 years at it's current Westminster location, the Butterfly Pavilion hopes to migrate to Broomfield.

The pavilion and its affiliate, the Center for Invertebrate Research and Conservation (CIRC), want to relocate the facility to North Park, at Colo. 7 and Sheridan Parkway — a move council overwhelmingly supported at a Tuesday night study session. North Park also is where JP Morgan Chase intends to build a 150,000-square-foot, $220 million operations center.

According to information submitted to Broomfield officials by the Butterfly Pavilion, CIRC intends to achieve "global change through innovative and integral programs that advance the knowledge and capacity of invertebrate research efforts while advancing invertebrate conservation work around the world."

Broomfield agreed to pay $75,000 to help pay for schematic plans and story-boards for a potential joint-use project that would benefit Broomfield, the pavilion and the Adams 12 Five Star School District, which would be part of a new Science and Technology Park at North Park. The pavilion would match that $75,000.

"In order to support the formation and long-term growth plans of CIRC, additional facility needs required Butterfly Pavilion to begin planning for expansion. This expansion is two-fold: 1) Lab and research space to support the critical work needing to be done by our science team; and 2) A state-of- the-art facility that allows us to present important scientific information to the general public, and engage them in behavior changes that support overall ecosystem health," according to the documents.

Advertisement

Mayor Pro Tem Greg Stokes said a way Broomfield can continue to be a "winner as a city" is to attract these type of projects.

"As we continue to look for ways to get North Park started, this is one of the best ideas I've seen," Stokes said. "There's just so many good things about this for an optional city to make ourselves stand out among the cities around us. I'm 100 percent behind this."

North Park is a Colo, 7 and Sheridan Parkway. (File Photo)

The North Park Managed Growth and Development Agreement, which was approved in 2011, includes a provision that the developer and Broomfield will work together to develop a the Science and Technology Park. McWhinney a real estate developer based in Denver, owns the land and will contribute up to 20 acres for the Science and Technology Park.

Broomfield officials are continuing to discuss a joint-use project with Adams 12 school district to develop the science park, which would include a District Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center within North Park.

Broomfield City and County uses could include library, recreation, educational, workforce and administrative services for the north end of Broomfield.

The Butterfly Pavilion hosts more than 300,000 guests annually. The pavilion has also been approached with proposals to remain in its current community or relocate to a third community, according to Broomfield city documents.

McWhinney is updating it's vision plan for North Park, which makes timing of CIRC ideal, Deputy City and County Manager Kevin Standbridge said.

The hope is that all parties work together on design from the beginning to best serve the community.

Council members Mike Shelton and Bette Erickson said they are excited about the project, but questioned what sort of future participation the center would ask of Broomfield.

Rob O'Dea, chair of Butterfly Pavilion's board of directors, said CIRC would look to Broomfield for some assistance going forward. With a projected-half million people going through the facility in coming years, "with their pocketbooks out," he said, the relocation would benefit the center and surrounding Broomfield businesses.

O'Dea said the original land in Westminster was a gift to the nonprofit pavilion. He did not have information on sales tax revenue generated for the city.

Sharing and co-locating some facilities would help with construction costs, O'Dea said, and the pavilion is having the same conversations with Adams 12. One example of shared spaces would be an auditorium to host educational events where scientists from around the world would share their knowledge.

O'Dea said the pavilion is working with a capital campaign committee and assured Broomfield officials that the pavilion is committed to the same vision as the city.

The plan includes weaving a trail system through the area to tie the center into existing open space.

Mayor Randy Ahrens said the center could provide an opportunity for businesses moving into Broomfield to establish themselves as part of the community by contributing to the project.

He also is in favorof the idea of the K-20 STEM school where students would work on research projects at one of the top accredited zoos in the world.

"What an experience for Broomfield youth to be able to have — this incredible zoo," he said. "How everything goes together is really great."

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.

Numbers suggest desire is greater than ever to have a CHSAA-sanctioned female divisionClarissa Batrez is a wrestler, not a girl who wrestles. Her father and older brother both wrestled so Batrez was raised in a wrestling environment all her life. Batrez speaks glowingly of the sport and loves that it gives her a competitive avenue through which she can channel her "inner power" and natural aggression. Full Story

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story